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Update:Frequent Miler reports Apple Pay has added “excludes gift cards” to this promotion. But I don’t know if they can enforce it. Please share in the comments if you receive 10% back for gift card purchases!

Update: Thanks to Million Mile Secrets reader Gracie for letting us know yesterday’s iOS update to the Apple Watch has been delayed. You can NOT currently use Apple Pay with Discover on the Apple Watch!

23% back on regular purchases with the Discover it Miles card (1.5% back + 10% bonus = 11.5%, doubled after 12 billing cycles)

30%cash back on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter in bonus categories with the Discover it card (5% cash back + 10% bonus = 15%, doubled after 12 billing cycles)

But Apple Pay only works with the certain devices.

You Can Only Make Apple Pay In-Store Purchases With the Newer iPhone and Apple Watch Devices

To meet the $10,000 limit quickly, you can purchase PIN-enabled Visa or MasterCard gift cards at places like Staples or the Safeway and use them to fund your AMEX Prepaid account.

You’ll have to pay ~$4 to ~$7 per gift card, but it’s well worth it!

How to Get This Deal If You Don’t Have an Apple Pay Device

But even if you have don’t have an Apple mobile device or you have an older phone like the iPhone 5, there are still some ways you may be able to earn up to $2,000+ in cash back with your Discover it or Discover it Miles card!

Note: It’s worth checking with your current wireless provider to see if they offer any incentives or subsidies for a new iPhone. Sometimes you can get a deal if you sign-up for a new contract.

And it’s worth considering a used iPhone 6. The new iPhone 6s comes out later this month, so you might see lots of used iPhone 6’s for sale on eBay in the near future!

1. Borrow One

If a close friend or family member has a qualifying iPhone 6 or Apple Watch you could ask to borrow it. Go shopping together if they don’t want their pricey device to leave their hands.

Or if they have some big purchases coming up, add your Discover it or Discover it Miles card to their Apple Pay and let them pay you back later.

2. Add an Authorized User

Spending by additional users on your account also counts towards the Apple Pay bonus. So you could give trusted friends or family members authorized user cards to earn 22% to 30% cash back on their Apple Pay purchases.

3. Buy 1 and Return It Later

Another option is to visit an Apple Store near you and purchase an iPhone or Apple Watch that you want to try out for this promotion.

Apple Pay with Apple Watch only works if you also have an iPhone 5 or 6. So if you already have an iPhone 5, you could set up Apple Pay, pair an Apple Watch with your phone, then use the Apple Watch for in-store purchases.

A friend was recently in the Apple Store for repairs on her laptop and asked about buying an iPad to use for the week while her laptop was out of commission. And it turns out they actually encourage folks to do this because they feel if you try it out, you’ll likely decide you want to keep it!

That’s a fantastic policy for any retailer to have! And it makes this deal more accessible to folks who have a Discover it or Discover it Miles card, but not the latest Apple devices!

Take an iPhone or Apple Watch for a 14 Day Test Drive and Earn Lots of Cash Back With Your Discover it Card & Apple Pay While You’re at It!

But there are some things you should keep in mind:

You break it, you buy it – You will won’t receive a refund if the device is damaged in any way, so be very careful

You don’t need a wireless plan – You’ll need Wi-Fi to configure Apple Pay on your device and add your Discover card. But once it’s set up, you do NOT need wireless or Wi-Fi access to make purchases.

This could even work for folks who plan on buying or upgrading to a new iPhone or Apple Watch anyway.

For example, let’s say you have an Android phone and plan to switch to the new iPhone 6S. You could:

Purchase an Apple Watch

Find a trusted friend or family member with an iPhone 5 or 6, and set-up Apple Pay with your Discover it or Discover it Miles card on their phone (if they have an iPhone 6, you could even skip the Apple Watch step)

Use the Apple Watch or your friend’s iPhone 6 to buy your new iPhone with Apple Pay, so you can save up to 23%!

Return the Apple Watch for a full refund (if required)

Again, folks with an iPhone 5 could buy the Apple Watch and set-up the 2 devices with Apple Pay and Discover. Then go on 14-day shopping spree that might include buying PIN-enabled Visa & MasterCard gift cards in stores like Staples that accept Apple Pay. Then return the Apple Watch.

Bottom Line

If you have a Discover it or Discover it Miles card, you can save Big Money with Apple Pay! Through December 31, 2015, you can earn as much as 22% to 30% cash back (on up to $10,000 in spending) for in-store purchases using Apple Pay.

And if you don’t have the newer Apple devices that support Apple Pay, there are still ways you can get in on this offer including:

Borrow 1 from a friend

Add a trusted person with a qualifying iPhone or Apple Watch as an authorized user on your Discover card and let them do the spending

Buy an Apple device for a trial period to make your purchases and then return it within 14 days

This is an incredible deal and you shouldn’t miss out just because you don’t have the latest Apple gadget!

Let me know in the comments if you try any of these methods. Or have other tricks to share!

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8 comments

Do I need to register with Apple or does the phone have to be registered with them? I'm thinking, I found some Iphone 5 that are about $80-100.00 (used and with some damage but it still works). Can I just buy one, not subscribe to any cellphone networks but just use the wifi to purchase items? Thanks.

Discover is keeping giftcard's out of this promootion, does anyone knows any other work around as I dont have plan to spen 10K in shoping by year end.

I thought of buy and returing item at bestbuy or staples and get the money back on their giftcard, then go ahead and buy VISA or Master card using that. However I donot know which stores allow to buy GC using GC ?

Here in MI I plan to get the 22% off on family purchases and gas exclusively at Meijer which accepts apple pay. Combination of groceries, gas, household items, and holiday shopping should easily eclipse the $10,000.

If you're going to buy any iPhone 6 or 6s, and are on a plan like the at and t next plan where you pay for the full price of the phone over time anyway, why not pay for the phone in full, in an Apple Store (ie once they're done setting it up, wait around a few minutes, add apple pay and then buy it through Apple pay and discover)? 22% cash back beats paying it gradually over the course of the plan right?

Editorial Note: Neither the editorial content nor the comments on this site are provided by the companies whose products are featured. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or evaluations provided here are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the Advertiser.

Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card issuers from which MillionMileSecrets.com receives compensation. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards on Million Mile Secrets other than in banner advertising. MillionMileSecrets.com does not include all credit card offers that might be available to consumers in the marketplace.